Education Workgroup
Scope and Purpose
The goal of the Education Workgroup is to have every student in the region graduate environmentally literate having participated in meaningful watershed educational experiences in elementary, middle, and high school that were supported by teachers who have received professional development in environmental education and schools that are models of environmental sustainability. The Education Workgroup provides a forum for cross-jurisdictional coordination and support on all aspects of environmental education with an emphasis on:
- Increasing Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEE) and other place-based, outdoor education
- Supporting training for teachers and environmental education professionals in content, pedagogy, and outdoor-learning techniques related to environmental topics
- Encouraging green infrastructure and operations on school grounds
- Supporting federal, state, and regional environmental literacy planning, including providing an ongoing forum to collaborate on the goals and objectives of the federal Executive Order and the nonprofit community Regional Roundtable.
The Education Workgroup is tasked with evaluating and recommending policies related to PK-12 bay education, maintaining the Bay Backpack website, and tracking state implementation of the MWEE in elementary, middle, and high school. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office also convenes a biennial Environmental Literacy Summit on behalf of the Workgroup to advance environmental literacy activities in the region.
Projects and Resources
Environmental Literacy Summit
The mid-Atlantic region is leading the nation in implementing sound policy that ensures our students will graduate environmentally literate citizens. To advance environmental literacy in the region, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office convenes a biennial Environmental Literacy Summit on behalf of the Workgroup. These summits provide an important forum for dialogue, collaboration, and coordination between federal, state, and non-governmental leaders about the future of equitable environmental education in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Publications
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Facilitator's Guide to MWEE Training
A companion text to the Educator's Guide to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience to support effective MWEE professional learning experiences for teachers and educators.
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Educator's Guide to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)
The cornerstone of the Environmental Literacy Goal of the 2014 Watershed Agreement is providing teacher-supported meaningful watershed educational experiences --MWEEs-- in elementary, middle, and high school. This guide has...
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Chesapeake Bay Watershed 2019 Environmental Literacy Report: Results from Watershed ELIT Survey
The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool (ELIT) was developed to monitor the capacity and progress of public school districts toward meting the environmental literacy goal stated in the 2014...
Other Links
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Bay Backpack
The Education Workgroup's teacher resource website is THE source for Chesapeake Bay and environmental education resources, lesson plans, field studies, trainings, and funding information